Filed under: Features | Tags: ambient, anthony gonzalez, concert review, free music, janet biggs, live music, M83, New York City, river to river
More photos from Anthony Gonzalez's ambient set under the jump
PREVIOUS RIVER TO RIVER COVERAGE: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at South Street Seaport
M83 mastermind Anthony Gonzalez was about 20 minutes into his Tuesday set at the WFC Winter Gardens when a (rather misplaced) middle-aged woman tapped me on the shoulder and asked me what instruments “the band” was playing.
In her defense, Gonzalez’s haunting, hovering compositions had a layered quality that could only be termed “orchestral.” And as he cued swell upon swell of icy, ethereal synth — sustained, hollow ringings, low-register humming, mechanical buzzes — he did indeed give the impression that an entire band was on stage.
But no — if you could get past the vastness of the Winter Gardens and the utter lack of stage lights, you would see only a dude and a couple of laptops. Not smiling. Not speaking. Just plugging away at an eerily-lit synthesizer as images of horses, wrestlers and super-saturated swimmers drifted into each other behind him.
It may have been the cavernous interior of the Winter Gardens, or the gorgeous, haunting footage from video artist Janet Biggs, but either way, Gonzalez’s work has never seemed so vast.
– Caitlin Dewey
Filed under: Editor Picks, Industry News, Scene Around Town | Tags: Dirty Projectors, Japandroids, M83, Magnolia Electric Co., Micachu and The Shapes, Real Estate, the Raveonettes, Tiny Masters of Today, Wavves, White Denim
The Village Voice's Siren Festival is this Saturday at Coney Island
Every Monday, we’re going to keep you guys updated with 20 Watts’ weekly concert picks in New York this summer and Syracuse during the school year. There are always awesome shows in the city, and most of this week’s are the best kind — the free ones.
1) Dirty Projectors, Williamsburg Waterfront at 2 p.m. on July 19th [FREE!]
The Dirty Projectors are one of the hottest indie rock bands this summer and this concert is especially interesting, considering it’s one of their first since suffering a car crash in Michigan last months. The opening acts will be Magnolia Electric Co. and White Denim.
2) M83’s Anthony Gonzalez, World Financial Center Winter Garden at 9 p.m. on July 14th [FREE!]
No it’s not the whole band, but one member of M83 is better than none. Anthony Gonzalez will accompany a production by video artist Janet Biggs — the shoegazing at this concert should be well worth the trip downtown.
3) Village Voice’s Siren Music Festival, Coney Island from 12 to 9 p.m. on July 18th [FREE!]
We’re most excited for Japandroids, Micachu and the Shapes, The Raveonettes and the Tiny Masters of Today. There also a bunch of other under-the-radar groups if you check out the websitel.
4) Wavves and Real Estate, Bowery Ballroom at 7 p.m. on July 15th [$13 in advance and $15 at the door]
This is the riskiest show of them all. Wavves is coming off a meltdown in Barcelona, Spain — so the show could suck, or you could witness Wavves’ reawakening. Real Estate, however, is worth checking out.
****UPDATE: According to Brooklyn Vegan, Wavves frontman Nathan Williams broke his wrist skateboarding recently but is still scheduled to play the Bowery Ballroom show. That’s bad ass.****
– Jett Wells, Editor-in-Chief
Filed under: Editor Picks, Free 4 All, Playlists | Tags: Animal Collective, Atlas Sound, Ben Lee, Brazilian Girls, Bright Eyes, Broken Social Scene, Coldplay, Devendra Banhart, Dirty Projectors, Enrique Iglesias, Fleet Foxes, Gipsy Kings, Grateful Dead, Jose Gonazalez, Kings of Convenience, M83, Phoenix, The Shins
20 Watts' free beach mix is a perfect blend of warm-weather hits.
DOWNLOAD FREE 20 WATTS Beach Playlist AT MEDIAFIRE
I’m going to follow Alex’s lead, but not because I’m an unoriginal poseur, but because I sincerely believe in the power of a kickass playlist. There is absolutely nothing more precious than music perfectly coinciding with your surroundings, which is why I’m going to share my ideal beach playlist. Trust me, I tested it this past weekend, and a playlist capable of transforming the Jersey Shore into the ultimate island getaway is worth a listen.
Filed under: Features | Tags: Beatles, Blind Melon, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Discovery, Elliot Smith, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lykke Li, M83, MGMT, Passion Pit, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rolling Stones, The Wallflowers
Hate DJing for your parents?
I just got back from a two-day getaway trip to UpState New York with my parents. It sucked, but I’m not going to get into that. However, it reminded me of an annoying occurrence that happens every time I share a car with my parents for a prolonged period—choosing music.
Every time, my mom or my dad asks me to put in my iPod, which is filled with tons of music I love, cherish and worship. To them, a lot of my music is challenging, repetitive and just plain obnoxious. Music is one of the many generational divides we face with our parents, but there are ways to pick music that all sides can enjoy. Keep in mind, this method doesn’t last forever, and you’ll get tired of it, but it helps. All parents are different, but the following tips apply to even the most conservative music lovers.
1) Avoid songs/bands/genres that are repetitive
This means no house music, techno, or Top 40 music. My parents hate hearing the same notes repeated over and over again. It drives them crazy, which is understandable. It’s not like you’re parents want to pull the car over and have a full-out dance party.
M83 and School of Seven Bells played Saturday night in Philadelphia at the Starlight Ballroom, putting on one of the best shows I’ve been to this year. I snapped some photos for you guys, albeit on my crappy super-zoom compact from about 15 ft away instead of a DSLR from 3 ft away. That makes for really grainy pictures.
School of Seven Bells played a fairly short set, which was quite unfortunate, but they are amazing.
M83 literally floored one girl (she fainted) because they were so good.
- Tuan Le
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: M83, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Radio Dept.
What a dark yet informative month it’s been. I’m a little bit sad that October only contains four Sundays, but I’ll try my best to make this post count. Last week we explored the humble beginnings of Nick Cave. This week, let’s check out another great band: The Jesus & Mary Chain.
You’ve probably heard this song, “Just Like Honey.” It’s off of their amazing album Psychocandy. The entire thing is thirtysomething minutes of pure listening joy- fuzzy and perfectly dark. Though this popular track is pretty slow, don’t be fooled- there are several songs off the album that are going to make you want to move.
